Monday, July 16, 2012

Oh Father of Mine

Cartoons
are a part of my consciousness. Like a lot of others who grew up with Looney
Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, Rocky & Bullwinkle, I can’t help recalling the
recurring themes, the sound effects and the characters I got to know from hours
in front of the TV set watching. Often a given premise is played out in a
variety of predictable scenarios. One of my favorite characters is Sylvester
the Cat who first appeared in the mid 1940s. Perhaps Sylvester's most developed role is in
a series of Robert
McKimson-directed
shorts, in which the character is a hapless mouse-catching instructor to his
dubious son, Sylvester
Junior. The "mouse"
is actually a powerful baby kangaroo he constantly mistakes for a
"king-size mouse." He wants to show that confidence but is repeatedly
bewildered. He brings his son to shame, so much so that the son feels compelled
to wear a bag over his head to hide the resemblance to his hapless dad. Sylvester
himself is reduced to a nervous breakdown. He is defeated. It’s funny because
it is real. Sylvester wants to be a role model and a hero, instead he fails
publicly.

What a great bit. I love
the father-son dynamic. In spite of his best efforts and his determination
Sylvester cannot succeed. He is dealing with circumstances beyond his
control. He comes up lacking in the eyes
of his son which makes matters worse. Of course, cartoon characters never grow
up. If they did, I bet Sylvester Jr. would one day realize that his father
loved him and did the very best he could, given the circumstances. The real
lesson he will take from his old man is how to keep trying and understand that
you won’t always win. And Sylvester, don’t worry, in time your son will put
your efforts in the context of his own adult experience and realize that you
are not such a bad cat after all.